Tang Xiaohua was crouching in the cloakroom, and when she looked up, the beige Xilin Military Uniform with patches of military green was soaked through.
Perhaps that’s just how women are, never as stoic as men.
At least she was far behind Wen Nian.
It seemed that apart from tears that could vent the myriad emotions in her chest, there was no other way...
But why was Xiaonian able to endure to such an extent?
She covered her face but still couldn’t calm the storm raging within her.
"At that time, he came to Xilin, and he was perfectly fine... not hurt, but he still lost his temper at me! He even lectured me! It was clearly Lu Ziqing who had hurt his leg... clearly Brother Lu..."
She muttered to herself like someone with a mental illness.
Her mouth was full of doubts, unresolved, crying yet laughing...
She just knew Wen Nian was truly terrifying, Song Lili! You really never learn... Avoidance is useless, so you confront, but what after confronting?
He has the ability, without uttering a word, to utterly defeat you.
She leaned against the wall to stand, glanced at the time, took a deep breath, and called Qu Yu again. This time, the call was quickly answered.
Tang Xiaohua, trying to stabilize her emotions, asked in as even a tone as possible.
Qu Yu, hearing Tang Xiaohua’s voice, felt something was off, her nasal voice was too prominent.
"Secretary Qu, I’m asking you, where is he!"
Secretary Qu paused for a moment, hastily regained his composure, glanced at the closed door of the conference room, and said, "He is still in a meeting in the conference room."
"Secretary Qu, I don’t care what you have to do, but tonight he absolutely must not leave your sight."
"...Guard Tang, you..."
"I am considering his safety. If he leaves the President Mansion tonight and something happens, be ready to pay with your life."
Tang Xiaohua hung up after speaking.
She rehung the Xilin Military Uniform, the finely made clothing; she didn’t wear it, letting it lay in the elegant gift box.
During the day, time seemed too slow, but now a blink of an eye and it was already almost eight.
With Qu Yu keeping an eye on Wen Nian, she had other matters to attend to...
She jogged all the way to the Police Department and borrowed a military jeep from Minister Long Siyan.
The people who could verify all these matters, she thought carefully, were probably just Lu Ziqing and... Lin Xinglan.
In the city center, there was a high-end dining area called New World.
A quite famous Chinese restaurant was located there, a reservation Lu Ziqing had secured through his contacts.
Initially, he had only thought about having dinner with Tang Xiaohua, totally forgetting that today was her birthday until he arrived here.
But he hadn’t prepared anything, so he sent a message asking Tang Xiaohua to leave home a bit later.
With the time he squeezed out, he went to buy gifts, flowers, and a cake.
Even the waitstaff of the Chinese restaurant were brought in to help set up the private room.
Seeing the way Lu Ziqing looked, the waitstaff could generally tell he wasn’t skilled at wooing girls and offered their suggestions while decorating the room.
"She’s not just any girl. If it were so easy to win her over just by this, then I wouldn’t have any worries."
"Mr. Lu, you’re so handsome and charismatic, and you look so protective—there’s still a girl you want to pursue but can’t get?"
A young waitress joked.
Lu Ziqing hung the last balloon and hooked the corner of his lips, seemingly nonchalantly said, "I can’t help it, wrong timing... I came too late."
The waitress didn’t understand but was curious.
Lu Ziqing looked at her with a smile, gently and patiently explained, "She already has someone in her heart."
The waitress’s expression stiffened for a moment, seemingly unsure how to comfort Lu Ziqing.
But it seemed Lu Ziqing didn’t need comforting. He flamboyantly said,
"It’s okay, even if I am ten years late, I’ll still little by little push that person out of her heart."
He picked at the flowers on the table, and although his tone was light and casual, one could faintly feel his determination.
"I really don’t know what kind of girl she is to be so lucky..."
"You’ll see when she arrives."
"Haha, alright! Everything’s ready, Mr. Lu, let me know if there’s anything else I can help with."
"No need, thank you."
The waitress bowed and then left the VIP room.
Lu Ziqing looked around the cozy, flower-filled small room and satisfied, took a seat on the sofa by the window to wait.
He had prepared so much, simply wanting to celebrate for her, not expecting anything in return.
He knew, in Tang Xiaohua’s heart there was no place for him, and when there might be... Oh, how melancholic!
The New World District was bustling with the city’s young talents.
Anlin, a city that never sleeps, was bustling and fashionable, while Xilin was a mountain area that darkened by seven o’clock in the evening.
He was born in Anlin, raised in Anlin, but resolutely left it behind.
He was uninterested in politics and the economy, his passion was only for the military.
When the Lu family elder knew he wouldn’t enter politics and didn’t want to take over the family business but instead wanted to be a soldier, he was frustrated and sent him straight to Xilin.
It was meant to be a hardship he would retreat from, but unexpectedly, he thrived in Xilin.
Lu Ziqing felt that following his own chosen path was good, it would be difficult, but life, which can only be lived once, would be so boring if he followed a path arranged by others.
It was already seven o’clock, and Tang Xiaohua hadn’t arrived. Could she be stuck in traffic?
At seven-thirty, he made a call but no one answered. Lu Ziqing didn’t think much of it and simply continued to wait.
He looked out of the window at the couples holding hands, a true sense of loneliness surged within him.
Looking back, he himself was already past the age of thirty, he hadn’t previously considered settling down...
Fighting in battles, with life hanging by a thread, one mission after another in the military, time also didn’t permit...
He hadn’t expected that the first time he’d truly consider marrying and starting a family, even to have the desire to walk down a bustling street holding the hand of his beloved like an ordinary person, would be here.
Maybe... that’s the charm of this bustling city that never sleeps.
The knocking on the door sounded, followed by the door being pushed open, and Lu Ziqing quickly collected himself, seeing Tang Xiaohua standing at the doorway.
The surprise in Lu Ziqing’s heart vanished in an instant upon seeing Tang Xiaohua’s face, "What’s wrong with you?"
Tang Xiaohua steadied her forehead, "I can’t help it; my eyes swell easily when I cry. I even iced them with cold water, but it still seems quite obvious."
"Brother Lu, I’m really hungry, can we eat something first?"